Nearby San Leone 26 km · Lido Manfria 29 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
No onset time is published for this spot.
The wind
locals call it Ponente, Maestrale, Scirocco, summer thermal
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
Typical strength
No measured local series exists. Modelled statistics for the bay give about 68 days a year over 12 knots, between 3 and 9 a month, weighted to January-March and October-November, and an all-hours average of 4-5 knots. That sits a long way from the near-daily summer thermal the beach is described by locally, so read the forecast rather than the reputation.
Thermal or synoptic
both
The quiver, in words
No local size table exists. Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider on flat-to-choppy water: 12 m for the light summer thermal, 9 m through 18-22 knots of Ponente or Maestrale, 7 m once it goes past 25.
Direction to shore
The coast here runs WNW to ESE between Licata and Palma di Montechiaro, so the beach faces roughly south-southwest. Ponente from the west arrives almost along the beach, cross-shore with a little onshore in it. Scirocco from the southeast is side-onshore.Maestrale from the northwest blows off the land, cross-offshore. A straight southerly is the one that comes dead on. These angles are read off the coastline; no local wind rose is published for the bay.
Dominant direction
W, NW, SE
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan34
- Feb33
- Mar47
- Apr, riders' month43
- May, riders' month21
- Jun, riders' month15
- Jul, riders' month18
- Aug, riders' month19
- Sep, riders' month30
- Oct, riders' month16
- Nov, riders' month37
- Dec39
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov.
- 34%Jan16°
- 33%Feb15°
- 47%Mar16°
- 43%Apr17°
- 21%May19°
- 15%Jun23°
- 18%Jul26°
- 19%Aug27°
- 30%Sep25°
- 16%Oct23°
- 37%Nov20°
- 39%Dec17°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34% | 50% | 44% | 12 kt | WNW | 16:00 | 11.2°C | 16°C | 62 |
| Feb | 33% | 46% | 39% | 11.5 kt | WNW | 15:00 | 11.3°C | 15.3°C | 57 |
| Mar | 47% | 56% | 53% | 13.1 kt | WNW | 15:00 | 12.7°C | 15.7°C | 62 |
| Apr | 43% | 58% | 53% | 13.2 kt | WNW | 15:00 | 15.4°C | 16.6°C | 60 |
| May | 21% | 44% | 32% | 11.1 kt | W | 15:00 | 19°C | 18.8°C | 62 |
| Jun | 15% | 28% | 23% | 9.3 kt | W | 15:00 | 24.4°C | 22.6°C | 60 |
| Jul | 18% | 26% | 23% | 9.4 kt | W | 16:00 | 27.3°C | 25.6°C | 62 |
| Aug | 19% | 32% | 23% | 10.6 kt | W | 16:00 | 26.7°C | 26.5°C | 62 |
| Sep | 30% | 37% | 33% | 10.6 kt | WNW | 15:00 | 24°C | 24.8°C | 60 |
| Oct | 16% | 32% | 23% | 9.3 kt | W | 15:00 | 20.9°C | 22.9°C | 62 |
| Nov | 37% | 47% | 45% | 11.3 kt | WNW | 13:00 | 16.6°C | 20°C | 60 |
| Dec | 39% | 52% | 47% | 12.2 kt | WNW | 15:00 | 13.4°C | 17.3°C | 62 |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal. A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.
High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024
The water
Type
sea
Standing depth
Sandy bottom in the right-hand inlet, shallowing gently, shallow enough close in to be treated as beginner water. No measured wading distance is published, and with only 20-30 cm of tide the depth is the same whenever you go in.
Tides
Nothing to plan around. Licata runs about 20-30 cm between high and low water, so the shoreline and the depth barely move through the day.
Temperature
24.1°C summer · 16°C winter
Wetsuit
Summer is warm; winter water around 16 C points to a full wetsuit.
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
Launch and rules
three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you
With a school or a boat
No school names this spot
Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.
On your own
Room to launch: large
Somewhere else
San Leone, 26 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Beach in front of the Torre di Gaffe hamlet west of Licata, mostly sandy with a mixed sandy/pebbly section by the inlets.
Space
large
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Rig and launch from the sandy right-hand side of the bay; the left-hand inlet is pebbles and cobbles.
- In summer, read the beach signage for the corridor or the bather-free area before you pump.
- Expect more wind here than on the urban beaches near Licata once the thermal is up.
- Bring your own safety plan, because no school or rescue is confirmed on this beach.
- Do not lean on the Porto Empedocle ordinance for this beach: its jurisdiction ends before Licata, and the rules that bind here come from the Licata maritime office.
- Tide is a non-issue, about a quarter of a metre, so pick your hour off the wind alone.
Getting there
Airport
Comiso (CIY), Catania Fontanarossa (CTA), or Palermo (PMO)
Route
By road from Agrigento on the SS115 toward Licata; the beach lies between Licata and Palma di Montechiaro.
Cost level
medium
Staying
Apartment rentals about 100 m from the beach, reportedly. Otherwise the general coastal accommodation around Licata.
No-wind days
Torre di Gaffe coastal tower · Licata · Valley of the Temples in Agrigento
Photos
FAQ
What is the wind like?
The spot works with W, NW and Scirocco/SE wind and is described as usable all year, with summer thermal allowing near-daily sessions.
What is the water like?
A mostly sandy bay with a sandy right-hand inlet and a pebbly left-hand inlet, generally flat with some chop.
Are there rules or launch corridors?
A regional bathing-safety ordinance regulates kite corridors; launching without one is allowed only on free beaches clear of bathers.
Is it crowded?
It is described as a popular kite spot with year-round use by Sicilian riders, busiest June to September.
Last updated: August 2026